Unless you’re my dad and depend solely upon The Lost Ogle for local news and information, you’ve surely heard the story about the Kaitlin Nootbaar. She’s the valedictorian from Prague High School who was denied her diploma because she, get this, dropped an H-bomb in her commencement speech.

The H-bomb she dropped wasn’t atomic, nor was it the words “Hatefucker” or “Hercules Dick,” which were my nicknames in high school. No, she had the nerve to say “Hell” in her commencement speech, which ironically enough, just happens to be the home of the Prague mascot.

Since KFOR broke the news, it’s gone ultra-viral. It’s made the front page of Yahoo and has been picked up by just about every major media outlet across the globe. This has led to an outpouring of support for Kaitlin, and a rush of people stumbling across our site in search of more information about Joleen Chaney. Seriously, check out our search engine stats from yesterday:

Sorry 75 random perverted dudes who saw a video of Joleen Chaney and then decided to search for bikini pics of her. We don’t have any, and we don’t know if any exist. However, if you did stumble across some while googling, can you send them our way? We’d love to post them. Plus, we heard bikini pics of Joleen Chaney make for a great watermelon fertilizer.

Anyway, it appears that the asshat who decided to withhold Kaitlin’s diploma is Prague Public School’s superintendent Rick Martin. He’s been very defensive about the whole ordeal. Here’s a picture of him from the Prague Public School’s website.

Yikes. I guess you can’t blame him from being upset. If some high school girl reminded me that my teeth and vulture eyes were delivered by Satan, I’d be upset, too. Seriously, look at the troll lizard. I bet that’s the same smirk he gives after he spies on cheerleaders in the locker room. I think he found his ear in the floor of a meat-packing house. He looks like someone mated Ferris O’Brien with that dude who floats around from Dune.

To make matters worse, check out the statement he sent to Channel 4:

“My name is Rick Martin. I am the Superintendent at Prague Public Schools. This morning two news articles involving our school district and Kaitlin Nootbar [sic] , the valedictorian for the class of 2012, were brought to my attention. Unfortunately, I have not had any communication with any member of the Nootbar [sic] family regarding this matter. It has been reported that the district is denying Ms. Nootbar [sic] a diploma because of a statement made during the 2012 graduation exercises. My comments are limited to those matters already released to the media by the Nootbar [sic] family.

Valedictorians for Prague Public Schools earn this title through the achievement of academic excellence. Our school has traditionally allowed the valedictorian to speak as part of the district’s graduation ceremonies. Speakers are allowed significant freedom in their remarks but all speeches must be approved in advance as being appropriate for graduation exercises. In this case, Ms. Nootbar [sic] prepared an appropriate speech, which was approved by the high school principal. Unfortunately, she did not present the speech as written and used language that was inappropriate for a graduation exercise. Therefore, the high school principal requested a private apology for her transgression before releasing her diploma. His request was both reasonable and in keeping with established federal caselaw interpreting the First Amendment.

Ms. Nootbar [sic] is an outstanding student and her achievements have reflected positively on our district. It is my hope that the family will contact me personally so that this matter may be resolved between the proper parties.”

You stupid ginger fuck. Her last name is Nootbaar, not “Nootbar.” Yeah, I know it’s a pretty weird name and everything, but if you’re going to deny her a diploma because she mentioned the home of Lucifer at her graduation, at least spell her name right. Also, why do you want the girl to apologize to you so badly? Do you have crush on her? Does it turn you on? Do you want to show her the Flowbee you use to cut your hair? Please let us know.

Anyway, hopefully someone will fire this holier than thou kolaches monster soon and get Kaitlin her diploma. Here are a few other quick notes:

• If you want to learn more about Prague, our former contributor Bridges profiled the town last year. Not only do they have a shrine for the infant baby Jesus, but for some guy named Avatar Meher Baba, too.

• I got my dog Rowdy from an Animal Rescue place near Prague. Not sure what that has to do with anything, but I felt like sharing.

• If you want to give Rick Martin, the Superintendent of Prague Public Schools, your thoughts on the matter — or just want to order him a pepperoni pizza to match his face —you can call at 405-567-4455. You can email him, too: rmartin@prague.k12.ok.us.

Believe me, I love you guys, but why can’t the girl apologize? Seems pretty simple to me. Break the rules, suffer the consequences. At least they are willing to let it go with an apology. I am disappointed with her parents not making her write it. What kind of example is this? Prime example of why the youth today feel so entitled.

Why should she apologize to the butt-hurt school board? Why not just get a list of those in attendance that were offended (both of them) and she can apologize to them. This girl earned her diploma, there’s no entitlement here.

I think you’re burying the lead here. She said hell. Anyone here offended by that word? No? Didn’t think so. This is a complete overreaction on a benign word. Does a preacher on Sunday make all the old blue hairs in the front pews blush when he mentions hell? Sounds to me like dude’s a control freak looking to flex his muscles on some 18 year old girl.

Protip: If they don’t ever censor the word on television or radio it’s probably not bad.

She shouldn’t apologize. I actually graduated from Prague and there is no rule about saying Hell at graduation, and my second point is that he didn’t tell her not to say it when she gave her speech. If they want her to apologize then they should make everyone who laughed when she said it apologize, and I doubt that would happen. As a former student of Prague High School I know the whole story because I was there. The principle tries to pick on one senior every year and target them. There was a teacher who wanted to be like him so bad that he would be in his office everyday instead of teaching the class. You couldn’t Chang at a ball game or you would be suspended. There were so many dropouts at Prague because no one liked him or the teachers that were there. The teachers were cussing in the classrooms, flirting with the students, and trying to fight the students. If he wants an apology then he should apologize to 2 referees that he cussed out at a playoff basketball game where he got kicked out of. Last but not least, he should make another student apologize for saying in his graduation speech, and I quote, ” Please don’t grow up to kill dogs like Michael Vick. Don’t be like Michael Jackson and touch little boys, and don’t listen to President Obama.” He gets mad over Kaitlin Nootbaar’s comments, but he was laughing really hard at the other persons comments. All those people who talked bad about the principle are right and you should keep talking bad because I was there everyday and what you think about him is exactly what he is. He is a person who has the power and he abuses it. There are some people who graduated with me that think Kaitlin is wrong but they are the people who are in face everyday because they “miss him”. Besides, who would remember a speech that happened 3 1/2 months ago by a high school student. That’s all I have to say.

She shouldn’t have to give an apology. She passed all the requirements to receive diploma according the Prague School District Handbook. He should apologize for being a fat ass douche canoe with a really small dick.

I wrote that sack-of-shit superintendent earlier this morning and I addressed him as “Mr.” not “Dr.” and I explained to him that I am glad this student did what she did.
I was diplomatic about it, going so far as to call him a redneck good ol’ boy or something to that effect.

I love how this guy is opining about “established federal caselaw.” The funniest thing to me is that no one told her that the speech was a problem until, like, a week ago. When the principal said “I have your diploma right here but you aren’t getting it.”

The only question in my mind is whether Prague will issue the diploma before or after getting sued.

As far as I’m concerned, the only thing she has cause to apologize for is saying something similar to a quote from a Twilight movie. She should apologize to the people who heard her speech for quoting from something so cheesy. But as far as dropping the H word – who the F@#$ gives a S#!%? Give the girl her F’in diploma! And by the way, Patrick, Rick Martin looks like one of the monsters from the movie House with William Katt. All he needs is purple skin to finish the look.

Oh, and wanting a girl to apologize for diverging from a preapproved high school graduation speech? Oh no, what’s next…….kids have to stay seated in class and pay attention or go to the principal’s office? When are these public servants going to get an Fing clue.

She’s a high school valedictorian. If I were her, I’d just forget it cause it a high school diploma. She’s more than likely going to go to college so she’ll have another diploma(s) to not particularly care about. My college degrees are sitting in a box at my parent’s house. Lord only knows where my high school diploma is. Hell at least she’ll know where it is.

exactly. Her transcript will get her into college, and get her scholarships. This ass-clown is going to get her on the freaking Colbert Report…or at the very least Jimmy Fallon. Best thing that could have happened to her.

Reminds me when Barkley said OKC was lame, and when he got here, everyone was tripping over themselves to entertain him.

Isn’t Prague dangerously close to the Hellmouth, I mean incredibly active fault line, running through central OK. Maybe Prague/Hell is kind of like Fight Club. The first rule of Prague/Hell is you don’t talk about Prague/Hell. Tyler Durden does not approve.

I could see if she said something like “My chem teacher can go to hell” or “My 4 years here were hell”…but in the context she used it was harmless. The mascot being a devil is just icing on the daily show cake. Here’s to the Prague class of 2013 valedictorian declining to give the speech because of fear of not being perfect.

It’s hilarious that you are all defending a small-town valedictorian whose claim to fame is being a big rebel by quoting Twilight (okay, not really a big rebel, a big rebel would have actually submitted that as her speech instead of the bait and switch, but whatev).

OR maybe we’re not celebrating her, instead, berating the redneck good old boys on the school board in Prague? This is classic “small town” mentality at its finest and yet another reason why Prague and other towns like it should be left to crumble.

You know, she’s in the right, and the school’s in the wrong but every time she opens her mouth she comes off as a 19-year-old brat. Just say “I didn’t mean to offend anyone, but don’t see why I should have to apologize.” and leave it at that.

Her zinger of “well, it would be lying if I apologized, and if saying hell’s a sin, I don’t want to sin twice” is exactly what a teenaged smartass would say. Doesn’t make her wrong, but it does make her much less sympathetic.

Didn’t suggest that. Only pointed out that she’s trying and failing to look clever on TV like any newly-minted high school graduate with 15 minutes of fame and an army of supporters would. It’s doing her no favors.

Prague City Schools clearly looks terrible. Instead of waiting three months to vindictively withhold her diploma, they should have immediately given a press release stating that Kaitlin deviated from her approved speech by delivering a mild curse word, that PHS apologizes for anyone who was offended by the language, and that PHS is reviewing its student speech policy for future graduations. Wouldn’t have even been a footnote, the kid gets appropriately admonished, and life goes on.

Every student handbook from the third grade on up addresses the use of profanity and its consequences. She knew what she said was technically a violation of school policy. And for all of you armchair lawyers out there, freedom of speech can be legally restricted in some cases. The real issue, as usual, is the knee-jerk overreaction by the administration. I would have just given her a verbal admonishment and then paid someone to carve the word “Hell” on the hood of her car. Case closed.

I’m going to take the unpopular side of the debate…
We don’t know the school’s side of the story, but I suspect that Ms. Nootbaar violated a verbal agreement with school staff. When I was allowed to speak at my graduation, I was clearly told that I represented the entire school as well as my graduating class. I was told that any form of vulgarity in the speech was to be strictly avoided because clergy and people of very conservative religious and social morals would be in attendance. My speech was reviewed, and edited, by our advanced comp. instructor; and it was rehearsed before our principal and public speaking instructor. If the school had a similar agreement with Ms. Nootbaar, I could see where an apology might be in order. She could have quietly said that she was sorry for slip-up and have been done with it. Instead she is being an attention whore.